As computer systems and associated networks become more ubiquitous and complex; as the sensitivity of the content of the systems and network increases, and as the conventional user access paradigms changes for organizations of all types and sizes, from main offices or workplaces having dedicated IT systems to decentralized networks of IT servers and the like, system security rapidly becomes a major concern. Where secure access is required for individuals in a multi-user environment, security and identify verification and management become more important in maintaining system and network security and data integrity.
The use of tokens, such as universal serial bus (USB) tokens, smartcards or the like is gaining popularity as a way of providing flexible access to system resources from a variety of locations. A token is generally accepted as an integral part of a two-factor security paradigm involving possession of the token as the first factor and authentication of the holder of the token as the second factor. A token allows information specific to a user to be stored in the token and used to authenticate a user and subsequently provide access to system resources. A typical token is provided with a memory and a processor, microcontroller, or the like for executing applications for managing card security, providing access to information on the card and the like.
Problems can arise despite system security measures, since secure access to information stored on the token can be compromised from time to time by processes running in the multi-user processing environment including unauthorized or malicious processes, which can gain access to the card once the card is legitimately opened for access by the normal authentication process. Further, preventing access altogether is not feasible since some access may be required by an entity or entities other than the authorized user. Such access may be security level specific.
Therefore it would be desirable for a solution to the problem of controlling or restricting access to token information by other than the authorized user. In addition, factors such as scalability, standards compliance, regulatory compliance, security administration and the like must also be taken into consideration.
While a general background including problems in the art are described hereinabove, with occasional reference to related art or general concepts associated with the present invention, the above description is not intended to be limiting since the primary features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows. Some aspects of the present invention not specifically described herein may become obvious after a review of the attendant description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only in nature and are not restrictive of the scope or applicability of the present invention.